Русский
Russia expects to continue fruitful cooperation with the Central African Republic (CAR) in the military and military-technical spheres following the UN Security Council’s decision to lift the arms embargo on the country, Alexander Bikantov, the Russian Ambassador to Bangui has said.
“We count on the continuation of fruitful military cooperation in the interests of our states,” Bikantov said.
The Russian side considers the lifting of the arms embargo against the CAR a significant event for the African country, the ambassador said, adding that it will have a positive impact on strengthening the security and sovereignty of the CAR in the long term.
Moscow is Bangui’s main partner in the military and military-technical fields. However, there is no talk of new Russian deliveries of military products to the CAR at the moment, Bikantov said, adding that in case of the nation’s requests, all of them will be considered promptly.
Russia has been making inroads throughout Africa as many of the continent’s countries look to extract themselves from years of European colonial influence. Many are also threatened with Islamic insurgencies and require assistance with internal security, an issue the Wagner Group have now been deployed to deal with.
Bilateral trade between Russia and the CAR is small at about US$4 million per annum. The CAR exports auto and aviation panels, and Russia exports mainly legumes.
However, with Russia also involved with security and trade developments throughout the West African, Sahel and East African nations, and the CAR part of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), the opportunities for Russia, along with China’s infrastructure build will help landlocked countries such as the CAR and their neighbours achieve a better standard of living quality than has been possible in the past.
Further Reading
For more on Russia’s security and trade developments in Africa, please see our Russia-Africa archives here.
